Fairmont Raffles Hotels International (FRHI) announced it will open a new hotel in Makkah showing again the resilience of the booming hospitality sector in the region. They will partner with Saudi construction giant Bin Laden group to open the Raffles Makkah Palace Hotel in Makkah. The hotel operator currently employs more than 35,000 people and owns 92 hotels globally.
The new Raffles Makkah Palace Hotel will have 198 rooms and 67 elevators. The Chief Operation Officer for FRHI, Chris Cahill, explained Makkah is a religious tourism destination with a growing and established market. Also, because there is ongoing business in Saudi there is a need for hotels and occupancy is supported. FRHI is also scheduled to open the Fairmont in Makkah in 2010 – it will be called The Royal Clock Towe.
